"What did you say? I'm not high enough rank? You're so arrogant. Who do you think you are? Do you think only our chief is qualified to question you?" If someone hadn't stopped him, this junior policeman would have pounced on him and started hitting him.
"I'm not kidding you. If the director you're talking about is the director of a district branch, then he should be qualified. But if it's a district branch, then he's not qualified!"
"Are you from the district branch? Should I have your chief call you?" Zhang Lei casually flipped through his phone book, pulled out a number, and placed it in front of the young man. "Do you know your chief's number? Should I call him?"
"Or you can go back and ask. I cooperated with you earlier because you were also on official business, but please don't interfere with my official business unnecessarily, understand?" Although Zhang Lei hadn't officially become a member of the Guoyi Branch yet, he was already showing off his power. He would feel embarrassed if it were the kind old fat man, but he felt no remorse towards this little rascal who seemed to have taken a hit the moment he walked in.
Zhang Lei was so certain because he was convinced that he wouldn't be the one to suffer any loss. Moreover, if they did investigate him later, the mere excuse of settling a personal score would be enough for the higher-ups at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange to silence the police.
Because of what happened in the end, Zhang Lei had a very bad falling out with these policemen. Even the veteran policemen no longer looked at Zhang Lei with friendly eyes. Zhang Lei suddenly realized that they were actually in cahoots, just playing good cop and bad cop. However, Zhang Lei didn't want to play this game with them anymore. From now on, if Zhang Lei said a word, these junior policemen would have to run themselves ragged. Zhang Lei decided that after officially becoming a member of the National Security Bureau, he would at least have to order these policemen around.
...
"Brother Liu Yun, I've been waiting for you! So, how are you? Where are my documents?" Zhang Lei circled around Liu Yun, just like he had circled around Tian Xiao yesterday. However, compared to Tian Xiao, there was nothing on Liu Yun's body that would give Zhang Lei a feeling of happiness if he touched it.
"Don't rush, let me go and rest first!" Liu Yun lifted the large box in his hand. "This thing isn't exactly light!"
"Let me do it, let me do it! After Brother Liu Yun gave me some pointers last time, I trained according to his method, and now my strength has increased a lot!" Zhang Lei said, taking Liu Yun's box from him. "It's very heavy, Brother Liu Yun, what is it?"
"Actually, it's right for you to carry it. It won't be long before all the stuff in there is yours!" Liu Yun patted Zhang Lei's head. "The effect is pretty good, isn't it? Tian Xiao told me that your head instructor will be here in a day or two at most. He has the same superpower as you, so I believe he will be of great help to you."
"Really? I'm looking forward to it too!" Zhang Lei put the large box into the taxi. He was indeed much stronger. In the past, even with the help of internal energy, it would have been very difficult to lift such a heavy box. But now Zhang Lei seemed to be doing it very easily, except that his heart was beating a little faster after he finished.
"Hongzhen Old Street!" Upon hearing this name, the driver's body trembled slightly. Hongzhen Old Street is indeed quite famous in Shanghai.
"Hurry up and drive, it's not like you'll lose money on the fare!" Liu Yun quickly added when he saw the driver hesitating, as if he didn't want to drive.
"Come back with us first, we'll do a few tests. If nothing goes wrong, you'll be hired tonight!" Because there was a driver in the car, they could only use these more common phrases in many places.
Tianxiao turned her whole body around in the front seat, knelt on the seat, and rested her large chest on the edge of the seat. "Brother Liu Yun, you can actually see his progress in the car. It doesn't require any special tests."
They said they were used to this kind of ambiguous semi-coded language. Liu Yun immediately understood what she meant. Although he was relatively mature, there was still a stone in his heart. It didn't feel good to have something to do but not do it.
Liu Yun placed his hand on Zhang Lei's lower abdomen. With his skill level, it wouldn't matter if he didn't place his other hand on Zhang Lei's chest, unlike Tian Xiao who would have reached inside.
Even so, the driver, who was secretly glancing in the rearview mirror, changed his expression. Yes, what place would hire such a young child? The girl next to her looked so young too; could they be involved in that kind of business? But if all girls were like this, then saving up some money to patronize them once wouldn't be bad. He just didn't know if they accepted regular customers, how much they charged, and how to find them…
Liu Yun and Zhang Lei didn't pay any attention to the driver's gaze. Zhang Lei was worried about whether his internal strength had really increased, since he had only made inferences before.
As for Liu Yun, he was completely stunned by Zhang Lei's change. Yesterday, the report he received said that Zhang Lei's growth was more than double compared to the last time, but today it was clearly much higher. "Wow, it seems that you have really broken through a bottleneck. Your progress is really great. I think there is absolutely no problem in hiring you!"
Zhang Lei currently has two days' worth of internal energy. He barely used it last night, and he used very little at Xiao Wuzi's house this morning. That's why Liu Yun felt that he had made a lot of progress.
This only made the driver misunderstand even more. He thought that the driver was clearly touching the little boy's penis to check how things were going, and then saying that there were no problems with the hiring. Tsk tsk, there must be no mistake.
"Um, um, sir, what are the conditions for going to your place for one time?" The driver tried to ask as discreetly as possible, knowing that these people also had their pride, and that pride was often very strong. In addition, they were staying in Hongzhen Old Street, and if their pride was touched, they might smash the car.
Liu Yun placed his hand on the driver's shoulder, holding a test pad for testing superpower index in his palm. After waiting for about five or six seconds, he said, "I'm sorry, I think your qualifications are not good enough!" Liu Yun did not detect any superpower index on him.
Liu Yun thought that the driver had realized that they were discussing superpowers and that he also wanted to join a superpower organization like the National Bureau of Superpowers. He never expected that the driver meant that.
"Oh, never mind then!" The driver was a little dejected. After all, it was a high-end product that only rich people could afford. But then he thought, what's so great about it? He wasn't even qualified. It was just a bunch of prostitutes and pimps. Of course, he still didn't dare to say it directly.
Not only his internal energy, but Zhang Lei's superpower index also improved slightly. Therefore, Liu Yun issued the certificate to Zhang Lei without any hesitation. Of course, there was also that big box of things, most of which were actually equipment for Zhang Lei.
These features are all very user-friendly, and Zhang Lei didn't spend too much time learning how to use them. However, even so, he got home very late.
The aunts were quite unhappy that their nephew was going out to play at such a time and coming back so late, but they all knew that Zhang Lei had a strong sense of self-esteem, and since his mother wasn't around, they couldn't say too much. They just gave him a word of advice and that was it.
While they were having a meeting to discuss funeral arrangements on one side, Xiao Wuzi's family at the back gate were also discussing funeral arrangements. Many of his relatives had come, but compared to the harmonious atmosphere on the other side, it was practically a chaotic scene of quarrels.
Don't be fooled by the fact that this is a private house; its value is probably no less than that of the best commercial housing. One reason is its prime location and high land prices, and another is the huge amount of compensation that will be paid during demolition. Therefore, those relatives have ulterior motives; they said they came to discuss the funeral, but they were probably all eyeing this house.
At Zhang Lei's house, their voices carried over to a level that surpassed the aunties' conversation, so you can imagine what they were talking about.
The police had already secured the scene, but even outside, they seemed overjoyed; one might have thought they were discussing a happy occasion. This was understandable; all that was left in Xiao Wu's family was a frail, ailing old woman and a little girl, Wu Yining, who was already widely acknowledged as not being their biological child. It would seem morally wrong not to try and take something from them at this point.
Putting everything else aside, getting someone registered under the guise of caring for an elderly woman can bring in at least tens of thousands of yuan in compensation when the area is demolished. Keep in mind that by then, household registration in that area had already been frozen; without a legitimate reason, it was impossible to get in.
Zhang Lei's aunts are all sharp-tongued, but when it comes to inner beauty, they are probably exemplary. For example, when Zhang Lei went to his maternal grandmother's place to register his household registration, they didn't say a word and even helped him with the process.
Now that Grandma is dead, the family members only exchanged a few words about the house, and everyone was very polite to each other. But no matter what, one of the houses is to be given to the eldest sister, Zhang Lei's mother, who doesn't own a house in Shanghai.
If these women lived in large houses themselves, it wouldn't seem so noble, but none of them had good housing conditions. The second woman and her family of three lived in a tiny room of less than nine square meters with a loft above, making it difficult for them to even lift their heads. The third woman lived with her parents-in-law, but her relationship with her mother-in-law was strained; she was constantly picking fights, and she desperately wanted to move out. The fourth woman was even worse off; not only was her house small, but she also lived with her parents-in-law. To be honest, each of them actually had their reasons for fighting over the house.
There was also an uncle who, although well-off, followed the old Chinese custom of the eldest son inheriting the family property. He said to me, "I don't want anything, but I must pay for the funeral expenses so that I can show my respect. I live far away, and you all take care of my mother."
Whether it's things or people, it's not about not recognizing them, it's about comparison. Once you compare, the difference becomes apparent. Perhaps Zhang Lei inherited his kind and righteous nature from them. Zhang Lei was a good person when he was young, but now, he suddenly feels that he has become too bad.
However, they didn't know any of this. In their eyes, Zhang Lei was still that good child, the one who knew to give his toy deer to a crying little girl he didn't know.
The more he was under such gazes, the more guilty Zhang Lei felt. Sitting there, it felt like everyone was looking at him.
"Sorry, I haven't done my homework yet. I'll go to that room to do it!" Zhang Lei stood up, but his expression still looked a little off.
"Sigh, this child is just too competitive. He's been like this since he was little, and now he's even more so!" "Yeah, he never cried or made a fuss when he was little!" "Oh well, that's just his personality. I thought he wasn't sad this morning. It seems like this child likes to keep everything bottled up inside. Let's just pretend we don't know, otherwise he'll feel even worse. Did your eldest sister say when she'll be back?"
Zhang Lei was unaware that his departure had actually elevated his image to a higher level.
Zhang Lei took out his cell phone, which had just been issued to him. However, the bills wouldn't be sent to him; the headquarters in Beijing would directly allocate funds to pay the bills. As long as he didn't make "casual" international long-distance calls, Zhang Lei wouldn't have to spend a penny.
Of course, this mobile phone has other uses as well. The bureau can't just issue a regular mobile phone, so you have to get used to it gradually.
"Mom, it's me!" Zhang Lei dialed the phone number at his home in Northeast China. The employees of the power plant were well treated. While people had to wait in line to install a phone here, his home in Northeast China already had a programmable phone.
No mother needs to say her name to her son; no mother would fail to recognize the voice of the son she thinks about day and night.
"Do you know about Grandma's situation? Your aunts called you. It's all my fault. If I hadn't argued with Xiao Wu's family, he wouldn't have contacted Grandma, and Grandma wouldn't have had a heart attack!" Although Zhang Lei is strong-willed, he doesn't need to pretend when he's with his mother. As he spoke, Zhang Lei started to cry.
"Why are you crying? What's there to cry about? Mom doesn't like boys crying. Boys should have some manly spirit. Swallow your tears!" This was Zhang Lei's mother's consistent requirement for him. However, Zhang Lei had always been a bit easily moved to tears. Even when watching TV dramas, he would often shed a little urine. But if it weren't for his mother's constant education, Zhang Lei might have really become a man made of water.